How to win: Pantomime Procurement

About this contract

The Hexagon, Reading's largest entertainment venue, delivers a wide-ranging and diverse programme of events throughout the year. The annual pantomime represents the most commercially significant and strategically important component of the venue's programme. In 2022, a formal procurement process was undertaken to appoint Imagine Theatre as the pantomime production partner. This contract is now approaching its conclusion, with Aladdin (2026/27) being the final production under the current agreement, which ends in February 2027. To ensure continuity of delivery, audience engagement, and timely marketing and production planning, The Hexagon must enter into a new pantomime production contract by Autumn 2026, enabling full preparation for the 2027/28 pantomime season. The appointment of a pantomime production partner is a critical procurement for The Hexagon, given the pantomime's status as the venue's most commercially significant and strategically important annual event. A formal procurement process is required to ensure compliance with public sector procurement regulations, secure best value, promote fair competition, and mitigate financial and operational risk. Early market engageme

How to win contracts like this

• ✓Answer against the marking scheme, not the question text — Reading Borough Council scores each response, so map your evidence to the published criteria and weightings.
• ✓At £1,155,000, expect quality and social value to carry a large share of the score — price alone rarely wins services work.
• ✓Show recent, comparable delivery: name similar services contracts you've delivered for public bodies, with measurable outcomes.
• ✓Start early: it closes 20 May 2026 and a strong bid takes iteration.

BidWriter drafts your responses from your company profile, scores them against the marking scheme, and tracks your whole pipeline. Free to start — no card needed.

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